Develop in Different Languages
Discover 'Develop' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'develop', meaning to grow or expand in a positive way, is a powerful and versatile term that carries significant weight in many different contexts. From personal growth and professional advancement to technological innovation and cultural evolution, the concept of development is one that resonates across languages and borders.
Throughout history, the idea of development has been a central theme in the human experience. From the agricultural revolution that allowed our ancestors to settle in one place and cultivate the land, to the industrial revolution that transformed the way we live and work, development has been a driving force behind many of the most significant milestones in human history.
Given the importance of development in our personal and professional lives, it's not surprising that many people are interested in learning how to say this word in different languages. Whether you're traveling to a foreign country and want to communicate with locals, or you're simply interested in expanding your linguistic repertoire, knowing how to say 'develop' in different languages can be a valuable skill.
Here are a few sample translations to get you started:
- French: développer
- Spanish: desarrollar
- German: entwickeln
- Italian: sviluppare
- Chinese: 发展 (fā zhǎn)
Develop
Develop in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | ontwikkel | ||
| "Ontwikkel" in Afrikaans can also refer to the "unveiling" or "exposure" of something. | |||
| Amharic | ማዳበር | ||
| The Amharic word ማዳበር (develop) derives from the word ዳበር (speak) and connotes the idea of bringing something into existence through communication. | |||
| Hausa | ci gaba | ||
| The Hausa word "ci gaba" also means "to continue" or "to proceed". | |||
| Igbo | ịzụlite | ||
| The word “ịzụlite” also means "to nurture," "to bring up," and "to cultivate something." | |||
| Malagasy | hampivelarana | ||
| "Hampivelarana" is derived from the root "velar" meaning "to grow" or "to make grow". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kukula | ||
| "Kukula" also means "to be brought up or raised (e.g., a child)" or "to grow (e.g., a plant)". | |||
| Shona | kukura | ||
| "Kukura" also means "to grow" and "to mature" in Shona. | |||
| Somali | horumariyo | ||
| The word "horumariyo" can also mean "to grow" or "to mature". | |||
| Sesotho | ntshetsa pele | ||
| The word "ntshetsa pele" can also be used to mean "to become independent". This is because developing oneself often leads to becoming more self-sufficient and independent. | |||
| Swahili | kuendeleza | ||
| The word "kuendeleza" in Swahili is derived from the root word "-endelea" meaning "to continue" or "to progress". It also has the alternate meaning of "to improve" or "to make better". | |||
| Xhosa | phuhlisa | ||
| The word "phuhlisa" in Xhosa also means "to raise" or "to cultivate." | |||
| Yoruba | dagbasoke | ||
| The Yoruba word 'dagbasoke', meaning 'to develop' is also used as 'to evolve', or 'unfold'. | |||
| Zulu | thuthukisa | ||
| The word "thuthukisa" can also mean "to cultivate" or "to advance". | |||
| Bambara | ka yiriwa | ||
| Ewe | yi ŋgᴐ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | kwiteza imbere | ||
| Lingala | kosala | ||
| Luganda | okukulankulana | ||
| Sepedi | hlabolla | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hyehyɛ | ||
Develop in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | طور | ||
| "طور" also means a mountain in Arabic (e.g., طور سيناء Mount Sinai). | |||
| Hebrew | לְפַתֵחַ | ||
| The Hebrew verb "לפתח" (l'pateah) also means "to unlock," a metaphorical allusion to opening up possibilities and potential. | |||
| Pashto | پرمختګ | ||
| The word "پرمختګ" is derived from the Persian word "پروردن" meaning "to nourish" or "to educate". | |||
| Arabic | طور | ||
| "طور" also means a mountain in Arabic (e.g., طور سيناء Mount Sinai). | |||
Develop in Western European Languages
| Albanian | zhvillohen | ||
| The word "zhvillohen" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*gʷʰel-**, meaning "to turn, roll, revolve". | |||
| Basque | garatu | ||
| The Basque word 'garatu' can also mean 'to build' or 'to construct'. | |||
| Catalan | desenvolupar | ||
| The Catalan word "desenvolupar" also means "to unfold" or "to unwrap". | |||
| Croatian | razviti | ||
| "Razviti" also means "to scatter" or "to tear" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | udvikle | ||
| Udvikle can also mean "unveil", "evolve", or "disclose". | |||
| Dutch | ontwikkelen | ||
| "Ontwikkelen" can also mean "unveil" in Dutch. | |||
| English | develop | ||
| The word "develop" is derived from Late Latin "devolvere", meaning "to unroll" or "disclose", and is related to "envelope". | |||
| French | développer | ||
| In French, "développer" can also mean "to unroll" or "to unfold", reflecting its Latin root "devolvere" meaning "to roll down". | |||
| Frisian | ûntwikkelje | ||
| The word "ûntwikkelje" also means "to unfold" or "to open (a flower)" in Frisian. | |||
| Galician | desenvolver | ||
| The verb "desenvolver" in Galician can also mean to wrap or unpack, as in "desenvolver un regalo" (to unwrap a gift). | |||
| German | entwickeln | ||
| In its original sense, "entwickeln" means "to unfold" or "to unwrap", reflecting its Proto-Germanic root "*wik-," meaning "to open" or "to unfold." | |||
| Icelandic | þróa | ||
| The word "þróa" can also mean "to grow" or "to cultivate" in Icelandic. | |||
| Irish | fhorbairt | ||
| The word "fhorbairt" also has the meanings "growth" and "progress". | |||
| Italian | sviluppare | ||
| In Italian, the word "sviluppare" can also mean "to unroll or unfold". | |||
| Luxembourgish | entwéckelen | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "entwéckelen" is derived from the German word "entwickeln", with the same basic meaning, and can also mean to unwrap (e.g., a gift) or to open a door/window. | |||
| Maltese | tiżviluppa | ||
| The word "tiżviluppa" originally meant "to wrap" or "to envelop" in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | utvikle | ||
| Utvikle, a Norwegian word meaning 'to develop', originates from the Old Norse word 'útvekkja', which means 'to wrap out' or 'to unfold'. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | desenvolve | ||
| The Portuguese word "desenvolver" also means "turn inside out" or "roll up". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | leasaich | ||
| 'Leasaich' is derived from the Gaelic noun 'leas' meaning 'increase' or 'growth'. | |||
| Spanish | desarrollar | ||
| The Spanish verb "desarrollar" also means "to roll out" or "to unfurl". | |||
| Swedish | utveckla | ||
| The word "utveckla" in Swedish originates from the German word "entwickeln", meaning "to unfold" or "to evolve". | |||
| Welsh | datblygu | ||
| The word "datblygu" is derived from the root "dathlu" (to spread) and has the alternate meaning of "to expand". | |||
Develop in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | развіваць | ||
| In Proto-Slavic, "развіваць" meant "to turn around, to spin", and in some Belarusian dialects it still has that meaning. | |||
| Bosnian | razvijati | ||
| "Razvijati" stems from Persian "razidan" meaning either "be/become free" or "grow/progress." | |||
| Bulgarian | развиват се | ||
| Развиват се (razvivayt se) can also mean "to be developed" or "to evolve" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | rozvíjet | ||
| The word "rozvíjet" can also mean "to unfold", "to spread out", or "to blossom". | |||
| Estonian | arenema | ||
| The word "arenema" is derived from the Proto-Finnic verb "*are" meaning "to grow". | |||
| Finnish | kehittää | ||
| In addition to 'develop', "kehittää" has other meanings such as to invent, to devise, and to perfect. | |||
| Hungarian | fejleszteni | ||
| The word 'fejleszteni' can also mean 'to cultivate' or 'to improve' in addition to its meaning of 'to develop'. | |||
| Latvian | attīstīties | ||
| In Latvian, the word "attīstīties" comes from the Baltic root *ti̯es-*, meaning "to stretch, extend" and is cognate with words in other Indo-European languages such as the Sanskrit "tāyayāmi" (meaning "to stretch, extend") and the Ancient Greek "tēinō" (meaning "to stretch, draw"). | |||
| Lithuanian | vystytis | ||
| The word "vystytis" is derived from the verb "vystyti", which means "to unfold" or "to unroll". | |||
| Macedonian | развиваат | ||
| The word "развиваат" (develop) was originally used in the context of farming and animal breeding. | |||
| Polish | rozwijać | ||
| Rozwijać can also mean to "unfold" or "to spread out". | |||
| Romanian | dezvolta | ||
| The Romanian word "dezvolta" (develop) originates from the Latin "disvolvere" (to unroll) and also means "to unfold". | |||
| Russian | развиваться | ||
| Russian "развиваться" can also mean "progress", "flourish", or "evolve". | |||
| Serbian | развити | ||
| "Развити" is etymologically related to the Sanskrit word "vrt" meaning "to turn" and has alternate meanings such as "to unfurl" and "to progress." | |||
| Slovak | rozvíjať | ||
| "Rozvíjať" derives from "vír" meaning "whirlpool", alluding to the process of something growing and changing over time. | |||
| Slovenian | razvijati | ||
| The verb "razvijati" can also mean "to unfold" or "to spread out" in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | розвивати | ||
| The verb "розвивати" can mean both "to develop" in the sense of "to grow" or "to evolve" and "to develop" in the sense of "to create" or "to produce." | |||
Develop in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিকাশ | ||
| Gujarati | વિકાસ | ||
| The Gujarati word "વિકાસ" derives from the Sanskrit word "vikās," meaning growth or development, indicating evolution or maturation. | |||
| Hindi | विकसित करना | ||
| The Hindi word "विकसित करना" is derived from the Sanskrit word "विकास" (vikās), which means "growth, expansion, or development". | |||
| Kannada | ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿಪಡಿಸಿ | ||
| Malayalam | വികസിപ്പിക്കുക | ||
| Marathi | विकसित | ||
| The word "विकसित" comes from the root word "विकास", which means "growth" or "progress." | |||
| Nepali | विकास | ||
| The word "विकास" can also mean growth, evolution, or progress. | |||
| Punjabi | ਵਿਕਾਸ | ||
| The word "विकास" can also mean "expansion" or "unfolding" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සංවර්ධනය කරන්න | ||
| Tamil | உருவாக்க | ||
| The Tamil word உருவாக்க also has the meaning "to produce", especially artistic productions. | |||
| Telugu | అభివృద్ధి | ||
| అబివ్దే ఉట్టకడవా ఆ ఆడమిక సెలవ కి కవై విచార న మద్ విటి అభివ్రదేన గతుల ఇఅ ఆఱథ దూరీ వఈక బాసా రసా మయెయ కలక లీఊ | |||
| Urdu | ترقی | ||
| The word "ترقی" can also mean "advancement," "improvement," or "progress." | |||
Develop in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 发展 | ||
| '发展' in Chinese can also mean 'to open up' or 'to unfold' | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 發展 | ||
| 發展 in Chinese can refer to either the act of developing or the state of being developed. | |||
| Japanese | 発展させる | ||
| The word "発展させる" can also mean "to prosper" or "to flourish". | |||
| Korean | 나타나게 하다 | ||
| Mongolian | хөгжүүлэх | ||
| "Хөгжүүлэх" (develop) is derived from the verb "хөгжих" (to grow or develop), and it can also mean "to cultivate," "to improve," or "to promote." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဖွံ့ဖြိုးတိုးတက် | ||
Develop in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | mengembangkan | ||
| "Mengembangkan" also means "to expand" or "to unfurl" something. | |||
| Javanese | ngrembaka | ||
| The word "ngrembaka" can also mean "to unfold" or "to spread out" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | អភិវឌ្ឍ | ||
| The Khmer word "អភិវឌ្ឍ" (develop) is derived from Sanskrit and also means "to expand" or "to progress". | |||
| Lao | ພັດທະນາ | ||
| Laotian "ພັດທະນາ" means not only to "develop" but in a Buddhist context also "to cultivate merit and goodness for the next life". | |||
| Malay | berkembang | ||
| The word "berkembang" in Malay can also mean "to flourish" or "to thrive". | |||
| Thai | พัฒนา | ||
| The Thai word "พัฒนา" (develop) is derived from the Sanskrit word "pradhāna" meaning "chief, principal, or best". | |||
| Vietnamese | phát triển, xây dựng | ||
| "Phát triển, xây dựng" can also mean "to expand" or "to cultivate" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bumuo | ||
Develop in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | inkişaf | ||
| "İnkişaf" means "blossom" in Turkish but in Azerbaijani it means "develop." | |||
| Kazakh | дамыту | ||
| The word "дамыту" in Kazakh derives from the Persian word "دمیدن" (damidan), meaning "to blow" or "to breathe". | |||
| Kyrgyz | иштеп чыгуу | ||
| The word "иштеп чыгуу" in Kyrgyz can also mean "to create" or "to produce". | |||
| Tajik | инкишоф додан | ||
| "Инкишоф додан" can also mean 'to open' or 'to create' in Tajik. | |||
| Turkmen | ösdürmeli | ||
| Uzbek | rivojlantirish | ||
| The word "rivojlantirish" can also mean "to improve" or "to advance". | |||
| Uyghur | ئېچىش | ||
Develop in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻomohala | ||
| Etymology: hoʻo- (causative prefix) + mohala (growth, development) | |||
| Maori | whanake | ||
| "In Maori, the word whanake holds additional meanings beyond "develop", including "to grow, nurture, thrive, and flourish". | |||
| Samoan | atiaʻe | ||
| "Atiaʻe" in Samoan can also mean to build, construct, or create something from scratch. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bumuo | ||
| The Tagalog word "bumuo" can also mean "to create" or "to form". | |||
Develop in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | sartayaña | ||
| Guarani | guerojera | ||
Develop in International Languages
| Esperanto | disvolvi | ||
| The Esperanto word " disvolvi " is derived from the Latin word " dissolvere " which means " to dissolve " or " to break up ". | |||
| Latin | develop | ||
| In Latin, "develop" can refer to the process of unwrapping or rolling out a scroll. | |||
Develop in Others Languages
| Greek | αναπτύσσω | ||
| In Greek, 'αναπτύσσω' translates to 'unfold' but can also mean 'to expose' or 'to spread out'. | |||
| Hmong | tsim kho | ||
| "Tsim kho" is a verb meaning "to grow, develop, or increase" in Hmong, and it also has the connotation of "to progress" or "to make advancement." | |||
| Kurdish | pêşvebirin | ||
| The word "pêşvebirin" is also used to mean "to make progress" and "to grow" in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | geliştirmek | ||
| The word "geliştirmek" derives from the Arabic word "devr", meaning "turn" or "rotation", and can also mean "to evolve" or "to improve" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | phuhlisa | ||
| The word "phuhlisa" in Xhosa also means "to raise" or "to cultivate." | |||
| Yiddish | אַנטוויקלען | ||
| The Yiddish word "אַנטוויקלען" is derived from the German word "entwickeln", which means "to unfold" or "to evolve". It can also mean "to grow" or "to progress". | |||
| Zulu | thuthukisa | ||
| The word "thuthukisa" can also mean "to cultivate" or "to advance". | |||
| Assamese | বিকাশ কৰা | ||
| Aymara | sartayaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | बिकास | ||
| Dhivehi | ތަރައްޤީ | ||
| Dogri | पैदा करना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bumuo | ||
| Guarani | guerojera | ||
| Ilocano | sukogen | ||
| Krio | go bifo | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پەرەپێدان | ||
| Maithili | विकास | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯦꯝꯒꯠ ꯁꯥꯒꯠꯄ | ||
| Mizo | tihmasawn | ||
| Oromo | misoomsuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବିକାଶ | ||
| Quechua | wiñay | ||
| Sanskrit | रचयति | ||
| Tatar | үсеш | ||
| Tigrinya | ዕበ | ||
| Tsonga | tumbuluxa | ||